Who do you think will win the West? The game tomorrow between the Lakers and Spurs will be a key piece of the equation. If San Antonio beats the Lakers, then I like the Hornets (who have the tiebreaker over both San Antonio and the Rockets). But if the Lakers beat the Spurs, then I like the Lakers.

Lakers in the driver's seat now, with their win over San Antonio. They only have one game left, hosting Sacramento. Meanwhile, Houston losing at Denver, and even if Houston turns it around tonight (hopefully they do, for the Warriors' sake), Houston still has to play at Utah tomorrow night. Meanwhile, the Lakers have the tiebreaker over the Hornets, so even if the Hornets win out, they don't catch the Lakers.

With only one game left for all teams but New Orleans, there is a very real chance that there could be a 4-way tie for 3rd place in the West.

Houston and Phoenix both play at home (Houston vs Clippers, Phoenix vs Portland). It may not be easy, but both of those teams should probably win. The deciding game will be Utah at San Antonio. If Utah can beat the Spurs, then they could all end up tied. And interestingly, San Antonio would come in 4th out of 4 in the tiebreaker, so their final game means a great deal to the Spurs. If they win, they have 3rd place (or maybe even second, if New Orleans loses their final two). If the Spurs lose, they could drop all the way to sixth place.

For Utah, the game will determine whether or not they have homecourt advantage, which for the Jazz would seem to be huge (although Utah has been playing better on the road lately, particularly against good teams).